EAST RUTHERFORD — The sigh of relief from the Rams on Sunday was every bit as gusty as the wind swirling around MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

And rightfully so.

They won to stop a four-game losing streak. They didn’t score a touchdown, mind you, but they did just enough to get back on the right side of the ledger, and that was cause for smiles.

“Yeah, it might be a little ugly, but at the end of the day, at the end of the year, they never ask how. They just ask how many,” Rams quarterback Case Keenum said. “So I never take winning in the league for granted. I know how hard it is. It was a tough-fought game.”

True.

But boy oh boy, does this offense need help in a hurry. They’ve now gone three games with only two touchdowns to show for it. Neither of which came in a win. That’s troublesome. And it’s not sustainable for a team simply trying to finish .500, let alone make a playoff push.

Despite it all, they return to L.A. at 4-5. Not great. But not out of the playoff race. But without a true and feared NFL offense to lean on, how far can the Rams possibly go?

Barring a change at quarterback — Jared Goff anyone? — we’ll all figure that answer out in the coming weeks.

For now, here are some observations coming out of Sunday’s win

Defense got a much-deserved win

Having been around the Rams defensive unit for months now, two things stand out:

1. This is a great defense worthy of a playoff team.

2. They don’t point fingers

The second is pretty important, because there isn’t a unit that deserves to point a finger more than the Rams defense, which has very little to show for being one of the top 11 defenses in the league.

But they don’t.

In fact, to a man, rather than assessing blame they look for ways to help. As in forcing turnovers to create opportunities for the offense.

And it starts with middle linebacker Alec Ogletree, who sets a tone with his play and words.

“If they get to the red zone, you try to make them kick field goals as much as possible,” he said. “First off, you try not to even let them get down there to attempt to score. Our mentality is we’re going to fight every play. We have them backed up. We want to try to keep them off the field and keep them from scoring touchdowns.”

It was Ogletree who talked all week about the defense creating turnovers to help the offense. It was Ogletree who came up with the game-saving interception in the closing minutes.

That’s putting action to words.

At least one side of the ball is doing that.

The offense needs help

It’s almost mind boggling Rams coach Jeff Fisher won’t put any of the blame for the offensive struggles on Keenum. Since when does the quarterback of an NFL offense that scores two touchdowns over three games and averages 16 points per game not get blame?

If you don’t think the Rams are a 4-5 team because the quarterback isn’t good enough to lift them any higher, you are either protecting said quarterback – which is understandable – or you’re delusional.

I’m leaning toward protecting.

The more pertinent question: Can Goff really so far behind it renders him a less-desirable option than Keenum?

A month ago that might have been the case. But that argument is growing weaker and weaker the worse the offense plays and the more Fisher and offensive coordinator Rob Boras praises Goff for his progress.

“I keep saying, and I’m going to keep saying this until he starts his first game, that he’s improving.” Fisher maintained Sunday. “He’s improving. He’s got a feel for it. He’s really into the game. He’s a play away from going into the game and he’s improving.”

If that’s the case, it seems inconceivable Goff isn’t a better option than Keenum right now.

Glimmer of hope for Gurley?

Three months ago it would have been ludicrous to suggest a 51-yard performance on 11 carries would represent a step up for Rams running back Todd Gurley.

But considering the difficulties Gurley’s had running against stacked defenses — and an offensive line that hasn’t been able to counter 9- and 10-man fronts — his 51-yard second half Sunday is absolutely a positive.

Even more so that nine of those carries came during two second-half drives that ended in field goals for the Rams. Those six points turned out to be difference against the Jets.

“I thought he got into a good rhythm today, especially when we needed it,” Keenum said. “There was a big drive when we went down there and took the lead. He had some really good runs. One of them was called back, unfortunately, but when we needed him, he came through. That’s what great players do in this league.”

Vincent Bonsignore is an NFL columnist for the Southern California News Group. Having covered the Los Angeles sports scene for more than two decades, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the leading voices on the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL and NFL relocation.

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